Lawmakers set to grill Capitol Hill's top manager after scathing misconduct report

The top official who manages Capitol Hill’s sprawling campus will face lawmakers on Thursday, his first time under oath since a searing report accused him of misusing resources and masquerading as an off-duty cop.

Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton will be the lone witness at a House Administration Committee hearing — one that’s billed on paper as focusing on his agency’s strategic plan to keep the aging historic complex updated and running. But in practice, the members of Congress with power over his office are bound to dig into Blanton’s misconduct.

The panel’s chair, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), is already calling it “the elephant in the room.”

“We need to discuss your personal role as the head of the [Architect of the Capitol] and allegations that have been brought to light by the AOC Inspector General. I have read the IG report and the allegations are highly concerning,” Steil plans to ask Blanton, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by POLITICO.

The 10-page report by a nonpartisan inspector general outlined extensive misuse of AOC vehicles by Blanton and members of his family for personal travel around not only the Washington, D.C. area, but also in West Virginia, South Carolina and Florida — adding an extra 18,853 miles over the estimated yearly mileage for an official car.

The report also included a reckless driving incident by Blanton’s daughter, who was caught driving 65 mph in a 30 mph zone while leaving the parking garage of a Virginia Walmart and made “obscene gestures.”

The inspector general also found Blanton had passed himself off as a law enforcement officer, using a government-owned car — with its emergency equipment activated — to pursue another driver he believed had committed a hit-and-run against his daughter’s boyfriend. The Architect of the Capitol is a member of the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the Hill’s police force, but the position doesn’t involve any law enforcement authority.

“Blanton’s actions have violated every pillar the [office of the inspector general] operates under including theft, fraud, waste and abuse against not only the AOC but also the taxpayer,” the report read.

The Architect of the Capitol office declined to comment, and Blanton has not publicly weighed in on the allegations. The inspector general is not a witness but is expected to attend the hearing.

In a seven-page written statement for the hearing obtained by POLITICO, Blanton doesn’t address the inspector general’s findings. Instead, he focuses on his office’s recent work, additional changes it’s seeking to improve physical security around the complex and efforts to make the building more accessible.

“Everyone at the AOC stands ready to support this Committee’s effort to meet current demands and to plan for the future. Together, we can protect and preserve this cherished institution as well as all of those who serve here. Across the agency, we are committed to working as one team, united in one mission,” Blanton’s statement reads.

But that push to keep the spotlight off of himself and on the AOC’s plans writ large is unlikely to deter lawmakers determined to seek accountability from an influential figure who mostly operates behind the scenes. And it all but guarantees that he’ll be pushed to weigh in during what could shape up to be a tense question-and-answer session.

That session is expected to grow tense, with hardball questions from both sides of the aisle.

Last year, a half-dozen lawmakers with oversight and funding responsibilities for AOC called for Blanton’s resignation. That includes Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the Rules Committee Chair, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the then-chair of the Administration Committee.

And those aren’t the only tough questions Blanton’s likely to encounter. Steil also wants answers on why an extended project to renovate the Cannon House Office Building has gone massively over-budget, as well as the Capitol Police Board’s decision to bring back the seven-foot tall metal fence around the Capitol ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address this week.

Republicans have mostly blasted the temporary fencing, first put up after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and not used for State of the Union addresses before then, as political messaging. The board split 2-1 on the decision to erect the fence, with Blanton voting in support; the new House sergeant at arms, appointed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was the lone no vote.

Steil, noting the cost was nearly $1 million, said he had “questions about this decision.”

“I can assure you that accountability starts today,” Steil plans to say, according to his remarks.

And one other problem could be poor timing for Blanton; on Wednesday, the Rayburn House Office Building experienced a blackout that derailed a major hearing. That falls under the Architect of the Capitol’s portfolio under facilities management, and is bound to come up.

However, while lawmakers could make Blanton uncomfortable for a few hours, their potential punishment stops there. They can call for his resignation, as some have already done, but as a presidential appointee only the president could force him out.

The Architect of the Capitol serves for a fixed 10-year term, and the laws that lay out the appointment, salary and responsibilities of the AOC do not include any process for punishment or removal. Blanton was sworn in on Jan. 16, 2020.

Even so, those limitations won’t stop Steil from signaling broader concerns with the AOC under Blanton’s leadership.

“From where I’m sitting, it seems to be that after three years under your leadership, the organization still faces significant challenges and the allegations in the IG report need to be addressed before the AOC as an organization can move on,” Steil wrote.